Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Sept 13: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president and former Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti, today vowed to keep the Jammu and Kashmir issue alive, stating that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will not be allowed to bury it.
Speaking to the media after addressing a public rally in South Kashmir’s Tral constituency, Mufti emphasized that among many other key issues, the J&K issue remains the most significant for the PDP.
“For us, the biggest issue is keeping the Kashmir issue alive. The BJP wants to bury it, but the PDP will continue the struggle to resolve it, as initiated by Mufti Muhammad Sayeed,” she said.
“There are also issues like unemployment, drug addiction, rising prices, and developmental concerns. In these areas as well, we will work effectively for the betterment of the people,” she said.
Regarding her party’s performance in the Lok Sabha elections, Mufti reflected on the challenges the PDP faced since 2019, noting that those elections were largely influenced by “peer-mureedi.”
“What happened in the Lok Sabha elections was due to the challenges the party faced. Forty of our people left, and the party was in disarray. Those elections were fought largely in the name of ‘peer-mureedi,’ not based on the party manifesto.”
However, she quickly added that the political landscape has since shifted, and people now recognize what the PDP achieved compared to the National Conference (NC).
“Things have changed now, and people understand what the PDP did during its brief tenure, something that NC could not achieve in 40 years.”
On the release of Er Rashid and its potential impact on the political landscape in Kashmir ahead of the Assembly elections, Mufti reiterated that if his release was intended, it should have occurred when Parliament was in session, allowing him to raise issues faced by the people.
She also highlighted that many young people from J&K remain imprisoned and suggested that the Government could have released them as well.
Regarding Tral, the PDP Chief mentioned her long-standing connection to the area, “dating back to times when no one used to come here, when militancy was high, and there were excesses by the security forces.”
“I removed camps that were causing hardships to the people. I hope that just as they have voted for the PDP before, they will do so again this time,” she added.
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